Siphon pipe reducer



Nov. 24, 1931.

S IPHON PIPE REDUCER Original Filed Nov. 28 25 2 SheetsSheet l H 3 INVENTOR.

-1 TTORNE Y.

c. H. ATKINS 1,833,551

NOV. 24, 1931. c ATKINS 1,833,551

S I PHON PI PE REDUCER Original Filed Nov. 28, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 gwuwntoz GU01 naq Patented Nov. 24, 1931 UNITED STATES CHARLES H. ATKINS, OF PALMER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO ATKINS AlN'D PATENT OFFICE IPANY, ING., OF PALMER, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS SIPHON PIPE REDUCER Application filed November 28, 1925, Serial No. 71,970. Renewed February 6, 1930.

My invention relates to improvements in drying machines for cloth, paper, orv the like and to an improved method or process for draining the same. It relates more particularly to siphon pipes used in connection With drying cans or driers of such machines and to a method or process of equalizing the pressure in said cans, and consists essentially in providing a siphonpipe line, at some point between'the end of the same in the can or drier, with which'said pipe line is associated or to which it is applied, and the main into which said pipe line discharges at the other end, with means to restrict, contract, or reduce the passage through the same, together with such cooperating parts and members as may be necessary or desirable in order to render the reducer complete and serviceable in every respect, all as hereinafter set forth.

' Much difficulty has heretofore been experienced with the drying cylinders, drums, or cans in drying machines of the class described, because some of the cans empty readily while others do not, due to the failure to maintain an equal pressure in all of said cans, or to equalize the pressure be tween them and the return main, and the primary object of my invention is to provide the siphon pipelines or conduits for the cans with means to equalize said pressure, and thus to insure the emptying of all cans alike, or, in other words, to provide for the proper removal of the air and water of condensation from the cans and for the filling thereof with steam. The importance and value of meanswhereby the aforesaid results are obtained are clearly apparent.

Another important object is to provide means, for equalizing the pressure between the cans and the return main, which is of such a nature or character that no traps are required. Previously a trap has been required with each andevery drying can or drier, but the use of my reducer removes entirely the need for a trap.

ther objects and advantages will appear in the course of the following description.

I attain the objects and secure the advantages of my invention by the means illus trated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of a siphon pipe line equipped with a practical form of my invention, said pipe line being illustrated in connection with a drying drum or can, and a hollow bearing box for the hollow shaft of said can; Fig. 2, an enlarged vertical section through the reducer with which said siphon pipe line is provided; Fig. 3, a top plan of said reducer and a cross section through the bolts that secure the same to the member above, taken on lines 3-3, in Fig. 2; and Fig. 4- is a side elevation of a siphon pipe line equipped with the invention, said pipe line being illustrated in connection with a plurality of drying drums.

Similar reference characters designate similar parts throughout the several views.

In the first view a drying cylinder or can isrepresented at 1, a hollow bearing box at 2, a packing box at 3, a siphon pipe at 4, and a vertical discharge main at 5. The gear, by means of which the can 1 is rotated, is shown at 6. Steam is introduced under pressure into the bearing box 2 and flows into the can 1 through a hollow sh aft (not shown) in the usual manner, such shaft being journaled in said box. The inner end of the pipe 4 terminates near the lower side of the can 1, and said pipe passes outwardly through the aforesaid hollow shaft, the bearing box 2, and the packing box 3, and continues on through connections presently to be described to open through a T 7 into the pipe or main 5. There should be a difference in pressure of one pound, more or less, between the contents of the drum 1 and the contents of the main 5, the greater pressure being in said drum, and provision to this end is made. The confined air and water of condensation in the can 1 are removed through the pipe 4, passing from said can to the pipe 5. These parts and members in both structure and function are generally old and well known.

The siphon pipe line, from the can 1 to the discharge main 5, may be made up of various parts and members, which, to all intents and purposes, serve as a single conduit for the passage through the same of air and water COM- A from said can to said main. In the present example, the aforesaid pipe line or conduit,

in addition to the pipe 4, consists of an elbow 8, coupling members S and 10 secured together by means Oft pair of bolts 11 and a pair of nuts 12, with a washer or packing- 7 ring 13 between, a vertical pipe 1 1, an elbow 15, and a horizontal pipe 16. The elbow 8 is screwed onto the outer terminal of the pipe 4, and the coupling member 9 is screwed ontothe'lower terminal of said elbow. The coupling member 10 is screwed onto the upper terminal or" the pipe opposite terminal. of said last-named pipe be ing connected through the T 7 5. A continuous passage is thus afforded,

from the open endot the pipe l which isin' the can 1 to the opposite end of the siphon conduit where1the pipe 16. opens into the main '5'.

At some point in this siphon; or any si m- V v ilar siphon, conduit vor pipe line is located my reducing means or member, whereby the F1213".

" sage throughsuch pipeline is constricted.

In the present-case the coupling'member 10 hastherein a restr cted, contracted, orreduced orifieeor passage 17, as clearly shown Fig. 2., and such member thus becomes a reducer located in the vertical branch, immediately below the level. of th'ejupper horizon-. tal branch of the siphon pipe line. The passag'elZ, although being line with the pass sages above and below the same, is of smaller diameter than the otiers, hence constricts the: elemental volume as it passes-through the same andthen said volume is permitted to expand, wherebyan effect is produced'that insures the complete emptying of vthe can 1 of the-element or elements that should properly pass out by way ofthe siphon pipe 4. The pressure between the can and the re turn main is thusstabilized, and-the steam is enabled to enter-said can in the volume requie site for the most etlicient functioningot the Due to the stabilization of pressure. brought about bythe retarding eiiect produced in the s'iphonpipe line. by the reduced passage 17 no trap isrequired. r v Ordinarily, in a battery of cans, the foremost canshave a tendency to fill with water much sooner than those behind, with the re sult that the steam entering the latter, passes on through the connected siphon pipelines to thedischarge main, and raises the pressure in said 1112111130 a point which interferes with.

v the flow oi-water from the cans. Incident to this there is, of course, a Waste of steam. By 7 rovidin each siphon si e line with. one of e i V I my reducers the aforesaid stabilization of.

pressure isteiiected, and thefillingcot the cans with waterand the waste of steam are prevented, because such reducer. prevents the p 14, and the elbow 15" connects the lower terminal of said'pipe with the adjacent terminal of the pipe 16, the

with the main passage through its siphon pipe line into the main'of afiuid volume of sufficient capacity to raise the pressure in said main to equal thatin the can from which said pipe line leads. Thus a practically uniform pressure is maintained in all of the cans. e

, The 'packing-ring13, in the present eXainple, has considerably larger interior diameter than'the diameter of the passage'18 in thecoupling member 9above, consequently the air and Water (either or'both) passing through said passage inayexpand somew 'iat between the same and the passage 17, but can escapethroughsaid lastnamed passage only in less volume than that of said airiand water (either or both) 7 before. their entrance even to the spacewithinsaid packing-ring.

'The base oi the' passage 1j7 is made flaring, as represented at 19 in Fig.2, whereby space is provided for the expansion'oi the elements as s'oon as they leave said passageand before tlieyenter the passage n the 15111614, which "latter passages correspondsin size with that of any of the passages throughfthe other parts and membersoi' the siphonconduit or pipe line, it being understood that thep'assageway through said pipe line substan-. tially uniform in diameter throughout, except atandiminediately adjacent to the pas.- sagel'T. 1 f' it is now clear, as hereinbei ore mentioned, that the member 10,'because of the presence therein oi" the restricted passage 17,]is really they siphon pipe reducer, although incidental- 1y, the same is also a coupling member, in the presentconstruction. The passe-gel? might be locatedin the coupling member 9 instead of-in the coupling member 10. Q I

By utilizing t" 1 I I he reducer as a coupling memher, I provide means for facilitating the operations oi; connecting and disconnecting the pipe line 7 between the horizontal branches"v t e of V 1 Y p It will be understood that ordinarily there are aplurality or series of cans 1, all of which are coupled with the discharge main 5, it being the object of the exhaust means fron each of the cans to equalize the pressure in'each of the cans so that thepressure in all of the cans is the same. The operation is as fol lows: The steam is'introduced into each can 1 axially through the pivot on which the can is rotated bythe gear 6. 'The inner end of the outlet piped is near-the lowest side of the can. so that it isimmersed in the water of condensation in the can. The steam pressure in thecan'torces the water of condensationthroiigh the pipe 4 out through the axis on which the can is rotated. The diameter of the outlet 45 is first increased at the gasket 13 and thereafter reduced at 17 so that the opening 18 leads. into the opening in the gasket 13 which is increased an'd the opening 1? leadsout of the opening at 13 being decreasedito a size smaller than that of the opening 18. This allows the water of condensation to back up and equalize the pressure in all of the cans as each or" the cans is connetted to the discharge main. In this way it will be seen that a plurality of cans can be drained and the pressure in the cans maintained by the simple expedient of relating the diameters in the outlet 4t.

My reducer is not necessarily confined to use in connection with drying machines, but may be inserted and successfully employed in a siphon pipe or pipe line or conduit associ ated with some other type of machine, apparatus, or appliance, or forming part of a heating system.

More or less change in the details of construction of this device, in addition to those hereinbefore specifically pointed out, may be made without departing from the soirit of my invention or eizceedin the scope of what is claimed.

WVhat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a device of the character described, a discharge main, a plurality of drier cans each having an open pipe connection with the discharge main, means to introduce steam into each of the cans, means connecting the re soective pipe connections with the interior of each can whereby the steam in the can will force the water of condensation in the can through the open pipe connection, a restriction of the size of the open pipe connection between the cans and discharge and an enlargement in the size of the pipe connection intermediate the restriction of the discharge main whereby the restriction is of such a size that will back up the water of condensation flowing through the pipe connection to equaliz'e the pressure in each of the cans without the use 01 valves or other discharge means in the pipe connection and the enlargement will reduce the pressure into the discharge main to an amount less than the pressure in the drier cans.

2. In a device of the character described, a discharge main, a plurality of drier cans each having an open pipe connection with a discharge main, means to introduce steam into each of the cans, means connecting the pipe connection to the interior of each can whereby the steam in the can will force the water of condensation in the can through the open pipe connection, an enlargement in the open pipe connection adapted to collect the water of condensation, a reduced portion connecting with the enlarged portion of a size smaller than the first portion of the open pipe connection and an enlarged portion connecting with the restricted portion and with the discharge main whereby the water of condensation will be backed up and checked by the enlarged portion and the succeeding reduced portion to equalize the pressure in each of the cans with out the use of valves or other discharge means in the pipe connection and the pressure reduced by the second enlarged portion whereby the pressure in the discharge main will be less than in the drier cans causing the water of condensation to flow from the cans to the discharge main through the steam pressure in the vcans.

3. Ina device of the character described, a discharge main, a plurality of drier cans each having an open pipe connection with the discharge main, means to revolve each of the cans, means to introduce steam in each of the revolving cans, an open pipe connection connecting each can with the discharge main, means connecting the pipe connection with the interior of each can whereby the steam in the can will force the water of condensation in the can through the open pipe connection a reduced portion in the pipe connection between the can and discharge whereby the reduced portion is of such size that it will back up the water of condensation flowing through the pipe connection to equalize the pressure in each of the cans without the use of valves or other discharge means in the pipe connection and an enlarged portion connecting with the reduced portion and with the discharge main whereby the pressure in the discharge main will be less than in the drier cans causing the water of condensation to flow from the cans to the discharge main through the steam pressure in the cans.

41-. In a device of the character described, a discharge main, a plurality of drier cans, means to rotate each of the cans, means to introduce steam into each of the rotating cans, an open pipe connection connecting each can with the discharge main, means connecting the pipe connection with the interior of each rotating can whereby the steam in the can will force the water of condensation in the can through the open pipe connection, and an enlarged portion in the pipe connection adapted to back up the water of condensation flowing through the pipe connection, a reduced portion in the pipe connection of such size that the enlarged portion and the reduced portion will back up the water of condensation flowing through the pipe connection to equalize the pressure in each of the cans without the use of valves or other discharge means in the pipe connection and an enlarged portion connecting with the reduced portion and with the discharge main whereby the pressure in the discharge main will be less than in the drier cans causing the water of condensation to flow from the cans to the discharge main through the steam pressure in the cans.

5. In a device of the character described, a steam charged receptacle, a discharge main and a pipe connecting the receptacle and discharge main, said pipe having a reduced portion and then an enlarged port-ion between the reduced portion and the discharge main whereby the reduced portion will equalize the pressure in the receptacle and pipe and'the enlarged portion will reduce thepressure of the flow. from the reduced portion into the e discharge main to an amount less than the pressure in the receptacle whereby the water of condensation will flow from the receptacle to the discharge main through the pressure of the steam in the receptacle Without the use of Valves or other implementsin the p1pe;

UHARLES -H. ATKINS. 

